Snow tires vs. Cables

[osiris12]

Hi All,

I have 2 Prii, a 2001 and 2007 both of course have different tire size requirements.

I've read many of the Snow Tires and Chains posts and am trying to figure out what is the best for my situation.

I live in Mid Hudson valley, NY about 2 hours south of Albany in lower Dutches county. We get some snow, maybe 3 or 4 storms per year, but most are minor.

I've always used the All Season tires on both cars, but last year there was one storm that kept dumping snow for 24 hours. Every time the town plowed the streets, 10 minutes later it was completely coverted with a few inches of new snow.

I had to pick my wife up at the train station 4 miles away, but couldn't. My 2001 kept slipping on level roads (don't have traction control option on 2001).

That was an usual strom last year. But I'm trying to decide to either get snow tires for both cars or a good set of cables. I fear that given the low amount of snow we get here, i would wear out the snow tires in just one season.

But I'm also unsure about cables since I've never used them before.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanx.

[Dave]

Bump. I'd like information about cables, too.

[brick]

A set of four snow tires mounted on their own rims (steel works fine) would be the most effective solution. Put them on in December when the snow starts to fly, take them off in March. This is your best bet for both traction and stability.

Cables are more of a last resort if you get stuck going up a hill or something. They provide the bite to get you moving but stability takes a dive since the rear tires are still sliding around. Finally, if you have a good set of snow tires you aren't likely to need the cables in the first place.

[pgc100]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brick @ Aug 8 2007, 07:56 AM) [snapback]492305[/snapback]</div>

A set of four snow tires mounted on their own rims (steel works fine) would be the most effective solution. Put them on in December when the snow starts to fly, take them off in March. This is your best bet for both traction and stability.

Cables are more of a last resort if you get stuck going up a hill or something. They provide the bite to get you moving but stability takes a dive since the rear tires are still sliding around. Finally, if you have a good set of snow tires you aren't likely to need the cables in the first place.
[/b]

I'm just south of you in Northern NJ, so I remember that storm. I started pricing snow tires on Tire Rack. The $750 for the set is painful enough, but the Tire Pressure monitoring adds another $450 to the price. I think cables or chains will be my preferred choice.

[osiris12]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PGC100 @ Aug 8 2007, 11:01 AM) [snapback]492386[/snapback]</div>

I'm just south of you in Northern NJ, so I remember that storm. I started pricing snow tires on Tire Rack. The $750 for the set is painful enough, but the Tire Pressure monitoring adds another $450 to the price. I think cables or chains will be my preferred choice.
[/b]

Thanks for the info. That is a lot $750 +450?

I do about 110 miles a day and I would most likely wear out a set of snow tires if 3 months (Dec - Mar).

I've heard the average tread life of a typical snow tires is about 3k. I just don't want to spend $1200 on tires that will turn to dust in just one season.

What ever happened to the http://offroadrecovery.com/product/FLEX_TRAX product for smaller tires? Would this be an alternative to chains/cables and snow tires?

[osiris12]

Has anyone tried the

Winterforce M+S snow tires?

I'm trying to decided which one of these brands I'm going to use on my prius for the 2007-2008 winter season in upstate NY. The michelins are the most expensive while the WinterForce is the cheapest.

Any experience with these would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

1. Nokian Hakkepellita H2
2. Michelins X-ICE
3. WINTERFORCE

[jayman]

My 2004 is apparently one of the handful with over-sensitive Trac. With "all season" tires my Prius was helpless, After trying a studless tire I went with studded Goodyear Nordic's from Canadian Tire. It's the same tire as the Ultra Grip 500 sold in the EU:

http://eu.goodyear.com/home_en/tires/repos...p?page=benefits

Click on Profile to get a flash presentation. This is a very noisy tire on dry roads, but in deep snow - until the car high centers - and ice, they work great. I have them on steel wheels with proper lugnuts.

Chains work great but can be intimidating to put on. Practise in your driveway so you know what to expect. Thats good advice for putting on the spare too - practise in your driveway

[steved]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman @ Sep 2 2007, 11:44 AM) [snapback]505917[/snapback]</div>

My 2004 is apparently one of the handful with over-sensitive Trac. With "all season" tires my Prius was helpless, After trying a studless tire I went with studded Goodyear Nordic's from Canadian Tire. It's the same tire as the Ultra Grip 500 sold in the EU:

http://eu.goodyear.com/home_en/tires/repos...p?page=benefits


[/b]

What difference in mpg did you notice with the studs vs. all season, vs. snow tires?

[aapopper]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman @ Sep 2 2007, 01:44 PM) [snapback]505917[/snapback]</div>

Chains work great but can be intimidating to put on. Practise in your driveway so you know what to expect. Thats good advice for putting on the spare too - practise in your driveway
[/b]

Check out

http://www.lacledechain.com/cat/traction/p...pinedetail.php#

Pricey but a "snap" to install.

[jayman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(steved @ Sep 15 2007, 07:25 PM) [snapback]513159[/snapback]</div>

What difference in mpg did you notice with the studs vs. all season, vs. snow tires?
[/b]

Since I have the snowtires on separate rims, it's quick and easy to swap over. On a given stretch of road where I might expect 4.9 l/100 km (57 MPG Cdn gallon), I would use 5.5 l/100km (51 MPG Cdn gallon).

I think the fuel economy loss has more to do with the tread design itself. If you go to the Goodyear EU website, in the link I provided, you'll notice how aggressive the tread pattern is.